Molecular Biology & Genetics

Faculty

Professor

Eric Alani is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Alani is a member of both the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development and the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Alani lab studies roles for DNA mismatch repair proteins in maintaining genome stability.

Professor, and Director, Cornell Center for Comparative and Population Genomics

Charles ("Chip") Aquadro is the Charles A. Alexander Professor of Biological Sciences, and Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, with a joint appointment in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and is the Director of the Cornell Center for Comparative and Population Genomics.

Associate Professor

Daniel Barbash is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Barbash is a member of both the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development and the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Barbash lab is interested in understanding the relationship between genomic change and the creation and divergence of species.

Research Scientist

Stéphane Bentolila is a Research Scientist in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. He is associated with the Hanson lab and is interested in plant organelle gene expression, more specifically RNA editing.

Jim Blankenship is a senior lecturer in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. He has been and continues to be actively engaged in the Biology Curriculum reform that is underway and is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology Programs of Studies.

Professor

Tony Bretscher is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, and a member of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology. Dr. Bretscher is a member of both the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development and the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Bretscher lab studies the functional organization and regulation of microfilaments in eucaryotic cells.

Professor

Bill Brown is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Brown is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Brown lab is broadly interested in the role of lipid modifying enzymes in organelle biology.

Professor

Andy Clark is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Population Genetics and Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator, and Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Clark is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, the Graduate Field of Computation Biology, and the Graduate Field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The Clark lab is focused on empirical and analytical problems associated with genetic variation in populations.

Professor

Angela Douglas is an adjunct Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and a Professor in the Department of Entomology. She is a member of the Graduate Fields of: Genetics, Genomics & Development, Microbiology; Nutrition; and Entomology. Her core interests are the interactions between animals and beneficial microorganisms, and the application of this research as a biomedical model for human health and novel target for insect pest control.

Professor

Scott D. Emr is the Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of 1956 Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Director of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology. Dr. Emr is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, and the Graduate Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. The Emr lab studies the regulation of cell signaling and membrane trafficking pathways by phosphoinositide kinases, protein kinases, selective ubiquitin modifications, and vesicle-mediated transport reactions.

Professor

Gerald Feigenson is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Feigenson is a member of the Graduate Field of Biophysics. The Feigenson lab studies the fundamental principles of biomembrane behavior.

Professor

Thomas Fox is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Fox is a member of both the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development and the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Fox lab studies the assembly of mitochondria within eukaryotic cells.

Assistant Professor

Chris Fromme is an Associate Professor in the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Fromme is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology and the Graduate Field of Biophysics. The Fromme lab studies how proteins and membranes are trafficked within eukaryotic cells.

Associate Professor

Maria Garcia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Garcia is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics, and Development, the Graduate Field of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, and the Graduate Field of Pharmacology. The Garcia lab studies the genes and processes that promote early embryonic development.

Professor

Michael Goldberg is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Goldberg is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development and the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cell Biology. The Goldberg lab studies the molecular mechanisms which ensure accurate chromosome segregation and other chromosome behaviors.

Assistant Professor

Andrew Grimson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics. Dr. Grimson is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology and the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development. The Grimson lab focuses on post-transcriptional gene regulation, in particular the identity and function of animal microRNAs and other small RNAs.

Assistant Professor

Chun Han is an Assistant Professor in the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Han is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology.

Professor

Maureen R. Hanson is Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics. Dr. Hanson is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, and the Graduate Field of Plant Biology. The Hanson lab studies gene expression in plant chloroplasts and mitochondria, as well as pathophysiology of the human illness Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics

Susan Henry is the Ronald P. Lynch Dean Emerita of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Henry is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, the Graduate Field of Food Science and Technology, and the Graduate Field of Nutrition. The Henry lab studies genetic regulation of lipid metabolism in yeast.

Research Scientist

Fenghua Hu is a research scientist in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and is a member of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology. Dr. Hu is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Hu lab studies the molecular mechanisms of Frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Professor

Tim Huffaker is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Huffaker is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, and the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Huffaker lab studies the moecular function of proteins involved in mitotic spindle function in yeast.

Associate Professor

Ailong Ke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Ke is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, the Graduate Field of Biophysics, and the Graduate Field of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. The Ke lab studies the structure and function of RNA molecules.

Professor

Ken Kemphues is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Kemphues is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, and the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Kemphues lab studies the molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment of cell polarity with a special emphasis on asymmetric cell divisions during embryonic development. NOTE: Dr. Kemphues is no longer accepting graduate students or postdocs.

Associate Professor

Sylvia Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Lee is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, the Graduate Field of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, and the Graduate Field of Nutrition. The Lee lab studies the conserved molecular pathways that modulate organismal longevity.

Associate Professor

Ruth Ley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Ley is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, and the Graduate Field of Microbiology. The Ley lab studies host interactions with the microbiome.

Professor

John Lis is the Barbara McClintock Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Lis is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, and the Graduate Field of Biomedical Engineering. The Lis lab studies the structure of promoters and genes and the mechanisms of their regulation in living cells.

Professor

Kelly Liu is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Liu is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development and the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Liu lab studies fundamental mechanisms involved in cell-cell signaling.

Associate Professor

Yuxin Mao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Mao is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology and the Graduate Field of Biophysics. The Mao lab studies the molecular mechanisms regulating membrane trafficking.

Professor

Linda Nicholson is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Nicholson is a member of the Graduate Field of Biophysics. The Nicholson lab studies the relationship between protein dynamics and function.

Senior Lecturer

Helen Nivison is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. She serves on the Health Careers Evaluation Committee and as an undergraduate advisor for students in the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.

Assistant Professor

Jeff Pleiss is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Pleiss is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, and the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development. The Pleiss lab studies the role of pre-mRNA processing as a regulatory control point for eukaryotic gene expression.

Adjunct Professor

Eric Richards is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and a researcher in the Boyce Thompson Institute. The Richards lab studies epigenetics, the study of inherited information superimposed on genetic sequence.

Professor

Jeff Roberts is the Robert J. Appel Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Roberts is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Roberts lab studies biochemical mechanisms controlling gene expression, particularly those which determine the ability of RNA polymerase to transcribe particular genes.

Research Scientist

Professor

John Schimenti is the James Law Professor of Genetics with appointments in the Departments of Biomedical Sciences and Molecular Biology & Genetics. He also serves as Director of the Center for Vertebrate Genomics. Dr. Schimenti is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, the Graduate Field of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, and the Graduate Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. The Schimenti lab studies the mouse as a model to investigate the genetics and mechanisms of meiosis and genome maintenance.

Professor

David Shalloway is the Greater Philadelphia Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Shalloway is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, the Graduate Field of Biophysics, the Graduate Field of Computational Biology, the Graduate Field of Applied Physics, and the Graduate Field of Applied Mathematics. . The Shalloway lab focuses on the development of biochemical, biophysical, and computational modeling to analyze experimental problems in multiple contexts in molecular and cell biology.

Associate Professor

Marcus Smolka is an Associate Professor in the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Smolka is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology and the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development. The Smolka lab studies the mechanisms by which dysfunctions in DNA damage checkpoint kinases lead to genomic instability and, consequently, cancer.

Associate Professor

Doina Tumbar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Tumbar is a member of the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development. The Tumbar lab studies the molecular mechanisms controlling the cell fate of hair follicle stem cells.

Professor

Bik Tye is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Tye is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology and the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development. The Tye lab studies problems in DNA replication in eukaryotes.

Professor

Volker Vogt is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Vogt is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology. The Vogt lab studies the assembly of retroviruses, primarily using Rous sarcoma virus as a model system.

Professor

David Wilson is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Wilson is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology and the Graduate Field of Microbiology. The Wilson lab studies the enzymology of plant cell wall degradation with a major focus on cellulases.

Professor

Mariana Wolfner is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow. Dr. Wolfner is a member of the Graduate Field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, the Graduate Field of Genetics, Genomics and Development, and the Graduate Field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The Wolfner lab studies the important molecular and gene-level reproductive processes that occur around the time when a sperm fertilizes an egg.